Can love ever really last?
by CowgirlChristian
Summary: Sam and Jake realize a few things about themselves. And their realizations have some very dire consequences for the people around them, that they claim to love. Will their love last, and can they stay together when nothing seems to work they way it should
1. Memories

Sam and Jake sat on a huge flat rock that overlooked Witch Rock Lake, so named for the witch-hat-shaped rock in the middle of the small lake. As Sam sat between Jake's legs, with his arms wrapped around her, she remembered when life was simple and she and Jake had used to race their horses to the lake.

Now she was a freshman at Northern Nevada University and Jake was a senior at the same college. Jake had gone to a larger school in Reno for a mere 2 weeks before he had realized that Sam was his life and being away from her was like scuba-diving with an empty oxygen tank. Or riding a broncy horse without a saddle or bridle. It was impossible for him to live without her. So he had transferred his few credits and moved to the campus only 45 miles from Darton.

Jake had been able to live at home after his first year, and drive to NNU three days a week for classes. He was still training horses for Wyatt, Sam's dad, and in Jake's mind things were as they should be.

Sam sighed and leaned back into Jake's chest.

"Jake?" she asked tentatively.

"Hmmm," came the almost drowsy reply.

" Do you remember the day you came home from Reno?" Sam questioned.

"Like yesterday," was all the pensive cowboy said.

Sam rested her head in a special spot on Jake's muscular chest and closed her eyes, remembering the day that Jake had come back.

*_Flashback* _

_Sam was standing in the barn glaring at her Mustang pony, sometime during the previous night, Ace had managed to catch his new personalized web halter on his water bucket hook, and as a result had bent the tongue of the buckle, and broken the noseband. Sam was fuming; she had just invested 45 dollars in the halter, against her father's advice. She didn't want to think about telling her dad that Ace had broken the new piece of tack. She turned and walked into the tack room and removed Ace's old blue halter from its hook and went back to the pony's stall to put it on him. Sam was just leading Ace from his stall and clipping him into the crossties when she heard gravel strike the side of the round pen and a pickup engine stop. Sam was sure it was one of the hands coming back from town with parts, feed or the mail so she didn't bother to walk to the big double barn doors to see whom it was. Even when footsteps came closer to the barn she didn't think twice, and kept grooming her little sorrel. But when someone grabbed her from behind and spun her around she dropped the dandy brush she'd been holding and gave an immediate squawk. Before she could do anything else, someone's lips met hers in a passionate kiss. As Sam pulled away from the kiss she smelled the familiar scent of Jake Ely, equal parts Axe deodorant and Black and Blue cologne by PBR ©. Sam was stunned, Jake was supposed to be away at college, not standing here in her barn on a September Saturday morning. Before Sam could think about it she wrapped her arms around Jake's neck, twined her fingers in his hair and gave the shy cowboy a tender kiss. When the two finally broke apart they could only stare at one another. It was then that they both seemed to find their voices. _

"_Jake, I-I…what…" Sam trailed off as Jake spoke._

"_Sam, I l-li…aww damnit all to hell, Sam I'm in love with you and I couldn't last another day in Reno." Came tumbling out of Jake's normally quiet mouth. _

_Sam just looked at Jake for nearly a full minute before she took one quick step into his arms and laying her head on his chest she started to cry, not a lady-like weeping, but full-on snot-running-down-her-face tears-soaking-Jake's-tee-shirt bawling. Sam had spent the two weeks since Jake had left, kicking herself for not telling him how she felt at the send-off barn dance and bonfire the Ely's had thrown for him. She had also spent a major portion of that time flinching each time "Hillbilly Nation" started to play on her cell phone, and then frantically checking the caller ID in case it was Jake. And for the last fourteen days since he'd left, she'd cried herself to sleep each night, while her Grandmother had hovered worriedly outside her door trying to decide if she should say something to the distraught girl or let Sam's grief run its course. _

_And while Sam had been at home trying to keep living without Jake, Jake had been stuck in one lecture hall after another in Reno, pounding out mile after mile on the outdoor track each evening after classes, trying to drown the memory of Sam's sorrowful face in his rearview mirror—the last thing he had seen as he'd driven his beat-up old truck out of her yard and onto the highway to Darton. But each day it had gotten harder and harder for him to disguise the fact that he felt like crying every time he saw a petite auburn haired girl in jeans walk by him in the food court, or jog by him on the Oval, or sit next to him in his classes. Jake had never been an emotional person, but this had been the most exhausting two weeks in his entire life. A vicious cycle, of study-study-think about Sam-think about Sam-think about Sam, had taken over his life. But now here he was in the old familiar barn at Riverbend Ranch with the slim girl wrapped in his arms, and although she was crying, this felt like the most right thing he'd ever done in his life, it was the same comforting sense of relief he'd felt when he'd gotten back on Witch after he'd broken his leg a couple years before. A sense that this was his purpose in life, if he never did another thing than hold Sam it would be completely all right. _

_Sam quit crying, but she refused to leave Jake's embrace, and the couple stood in the middle of the dusty barn for over an hour before they heard Gram ring the dinner bell, and finally broke apart. Sam looked desperately around for some way to clean up before she went indoors for lunch. Jake sensing her mission, pulled a handkerchief from his jeans pocket and handed it to Sam. Once she'd taken a few seconds to wash her face with the hankie and some water from Ace's bucket, and Jake had grabbed a flannel shirt from the seat of his truck, to hide the wet front of his shirt, the two walked towards the ranch house where Wyatt was scraping his boots. _

**R&R, let me know what you think so far, I have a couple more chapters written, and ready to post. But I'd like some feedback before I put them up. Thanks. **


	2. Unpleasant Dinner Table Conversation

_*Flashback* _

_Wyatt Forster looked up from scraping his boots, in time to see his daughter Sam, slip her hand from Jake Ely's grasp. It was only then that Wyatt noticed Jake's blue-jean colored pickup parked near the barn. _

"_Howdy there Jake, I saw your dad not an hour ago, and he forgot to tell me you came back for the weekend. You been tearin' up Reno lately?", Wyatt asked._

"_Dad…Jake's not…can Jake stay for lunch?" Sam cut in before her dad could further question Jake. _

"_He hasn't seen me yet, sir." Jake replied quietly, "and no, Reno's fine."_

"_I see, what'd you come straight here?" Wyatt joked, then noticing the look Sam gave Jake, he laughed and said, "well come on in and have a bite to eat Jake, you look like you could use some home cookin' or is Maxine expecting you?"_

_Taking a quick glance at Sam, Jake replied that yes he could stay for lunch. Then the two teenagers followed Wyatt into the ranch house in time to see Gram sliding a tray of warm, puffy biscuits from the oven. Brynna was standing to the side of the stove, taking pieces of fried chicken out of a Dutch oven, and putting them on a large blue platter. While Jake and Sam ran upstairs to wash their hands, Wyatt washed his hands at the kitchen sink, and then took his seat at the head of the table._

_While Sam and Jake were stealing a quick kiss in the bathroom, Wyatt was asking Brynna and Gram what they knew about Jake's being back from Reno. So far neither of them had even heard Jake was going to be coming home for a visit. _

_Jake clumped down the stairs, a step ahead of Sam, and into the kitchen, the three adults looked up almost guiltily as the two entered the room._

"_What?" Sam asked, noticing the funny looks. _

"_Jake, do your parents know you're back in town?" Brynna asked the question, on the three adults minds._

"_No, not yet I mean, I wanted to come check on Sam and Ace before I went home." Jake said, taking a breath only when he finished. _

"_I noticed your truck parked out by the barn nearly an hour and a half ago now? How long have you been here?" Gram questioned._

"_An hour and a half about. I was keeping Sam company while she groomed Ace." Came Jake's wordy reply. _

"_Jake why didn't you go home first?" Wyatt posed the question to the now nervous looking cowboy. _

"_Guys, do you mind? So what if he hasn't seen his parents yet? Can't he just eat some lunch, then he can go home, talk to his folks, get Witch and we can go for a ride?" Sam asked._

"_Okay, sure.", the adults replied, all at the same time._

_Jake and Sam took their seats at the table, and once Gram had said grace, the whole group hungrily dug into the feast of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, and fresh biscuits. It was only once Jake had ingested three times the food someone his size would normally eat, that he began to act like the old Jake. After Gram had served the coconut cream pie, everyone began to relax a little. Brynna asked Jake how he liked his classes, roommate, and college life; Wyatt asked if Jake had a girlfriend; and Gram, true to form, asked if he had been getting enough to eat, just as Jake polished off his third piece of pie. Once dessert was finished, and the table cleared Jake and Sam excused themselves so Sam could finish cleaning Ace's stall, and so Jake could head home and get Witch. The two stood on the front porch for a few minutes, and made arrangements to meet at Witch Rock Lake in an hour. _

Sam and Jake seemed to be remembering the same things at the same time, because Jake pulled himself from his reverie long enough to mention how good Gram's coconut pie was.

"Do you remember that time we bought that pie at Clara's and sat right here on this rock, and 'ate' it?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, man I haven't thought about that in a few weeks." Jake replied, still somewhat drowsily.

"Mhmm, that's a whole other memory, but one of my favorites," Sam said, searching again for the perfect spot for her head to rest on Jake's chest.

Jake dropped a kiss on the top of Sam's head, and whispered, "Baby, we have lots of good memories."


	3. Sexy Coconut Cream Pie

Yet another Flashback

_It was seemingly just another Thursday night, and since the Darton school district had recently shortened to a four day school week do to budget cuts, Sam was happy that her school week was over and as soon as she was finished with her English homework, she would be free for the next three days. She had no more than shut off her laptop, grabbed the pages her printer had spit out, and stuffed them into her binder, when Gram hollered from the bottom of the stairs that Jake had just called. _

"_What did he say Gram?" Sam yelled from her room._

"_He'll be by to pick you up in an hour, so get ready." Gram returned._

"_Alright," Sam replied._

"_Are you finished with your school work?" Gram asked before Sam had a chance to even get out of her desk chair._

"_Yep, I just need to take a shower."_

_With that Sam started stripping down on her way to her bathroom, and grabbing a towel from a pile of clothes setting on the floor by her bed, she scuttled into the small tiled room and shut and locked the door. The water in the shower was warm, and soothing, and combined with the scent of her cherry blossom and almond milk body wash was nearly enough to tempt her to stay in the shower all night, but the thought of Jake was what it took to combat the feelings and coax her out. Stepping from the shower, Sam toweled off and put on underwear, a bra, and socks. She then walked over to her bureau and selected her favorite, and Jakes favorite, pair of jeans, faded Wrangler's that fit her petite frame perfectly and accented her athletic figure, she then slipped on a pale coral tank top, and grabbing a Cruel Girl button up shirt in pinks and greens she put it on, and tied the tails into a knot above her belly button. Done dressing she walked back to her dresser, and picking up a brush, quickly put her hair up into a pony tail. Hair fixed all she had left to do was put on a touch of mascara and some cherry flavored chapstick. Then grabbing a ten and three ones from the stash of cash she kept in a box on her dresser, she stepped into her dressier boots and picking up her hoodie, turned off her bedroom light and went down the stairs to the kitchen. _

_Gram was standing at the stove stirring a pot of what smelled to be beef stew, when Sam came into the kitchen. Once she had told Sam that she looked perfect, and told her to have a good night, Sam jogged outside where Jake was just pulling up in his beat up old Ford truck. Before Jake could even get out of his pickup Sam had pulled the passenger side door open and hopped in. _

"_Wow, you look terrific!" was all Jake could seem to say. _

_Sam started playing with the radio trying to find the perfect station while Jake turned his pickup around and drove out of the ranch yard. Once the couple was on the highway to Alkali Sam scooted over towards Jake. They couple had only been going out officially for a month, but Sam had already managed to lay claim to "her" seat, the truck only had a bench seat, and Sam's spot was right next to Jake. Jake, not one to complain, was thrilled with the arrangement. The pair sang along to the radio, and within a few minutes they were turning into Clara's Diner. Jake parked the pickup in the small parking lot, and shut off the engine, but to Sam's surprise he didn't get out right away._

"_Uhh, Jake, you gonna get out? I'm just a little hungry here, wouldn't mind eating tonight." With that Sam's stomach gave a convincing rumble. _

"_Just a minute." Was all Jake would say. He put his arm around Sam's shoulders and sat back into the corner made by his door and the seat. Sam instinctively leaned into him, and gave a contented sigh. _

"_Jake? What are we doing?"_

"_I have an idea, what do you say we get some food to go and head for the lake?"_

"_Sounds great!" Sam said sitting up, "lets go order." With that she proceeded to climb over Jake's lap, open the door and hop out, Jake followed, slammed the door and walked into the diner with the beautiful girl at his side. _

_The couple walked to counter and placed their order, then went over to a small table in the corner to wait for 10 minutes while their order was filled. Sam had taken the seat facing the room, and she gasped as she looked up to see Curtis Flickinger stroll arrogantly into the small diner. Jake looked back over his shoulder when he heard Sam's strangled gasp. Instantly his eyes got icy and he glared at the man. Flick either didn't see or recognize the couple seated at the small table, or he chose to ignore them, but after picking up a sack of food, he turned and stalked out of the restaurant._

_Jake was talking to Sam when the waitress walked over to their table with a paper sack, and the check. As Jake pulled his wallet out to pay for the meal, Sam gave the dessert case a mischievous look and inquired as to how much a coconut cream pie and a fork would cost, the waitress ran a hand through her hair, thought for a minute and said that it she would charge them 13 dollars for a whole pie and a disposable fork. Sam pulled the money she'd shoved in her pocket earlier in the evening out, and handed it to the confused looking girl. Jake just gave Sam a confused glance, and handed the check back with a twenty. The girl, who's name tag read _Coreen,_ turned and walked back to the counter while shaking her head. _

"_Sam, what are you doing?" Jake queried._

"_Hide and watch, cowboy!" Sam replied, then stood, and walked to the counter where Coreen had taken one of the coconut cream pies out of the case, and put a domed lid on it. Then taking a plastic fork from a stack behind the counter, she handed the dessert to the Forster girl. Sam took the pie and fork, and walked out the door and headed for Jake's pickup. _

_Jake jogged to catch up and then standing in front of the pretty redhead asked what her plan was._

"_Jake, all I'm going to tell you is, there is a reason I only got one fork, be glad its freakishly warm out, and you better have a blanket behind the seat in your truck." Sam then pulled open the drivers door, and scooted over to her seat, and set the pie on the seat to her right. _

_In a short ten minutes, Jake and Sam pulled up to the sandy beach of Witch Rock Lake, and got out. _

"_C'mon Jake, this is gonna be fun, and for it to be fun, you have to help!" Sam coaxed, heading towards a big flat rock on the west side of the small lake. _

_Jake gave resigned sigh, and reached behind the seat and took out a folded plaid wool blanket his father insisted he keep their in case of emergency. Then he followed Sam to the rock carrying the blanket, and the sack of food from Clara's. _

_Later as Sam and Jake were putting the trash left over from their dinner of burgers and fries, Jake again asked what Sam's plan was for the pie. Without a word, Sam gave Jake a passionate kiss and gently shoved him onto his back. She then pushed his t-shirt up so she could see at least 10 inches of very tan, toned, rock hard abs. Kissing his stomach lightly, she sat up and reached for the pie setting on the corner of the blanket. _

"_Sam?" was all Jake could get out, his breathing was becoming slightly ragged and his voice was hoarse. _

_Sam took the lid off the pie and taking her pointer finger, scooped up some of the over-abundant whipped cream and smeared it on Jake's abs. She then bent down, and giving Jake a trusting glance, she licked the whipped cream off his stomach. Jake's breathing was now very ragged and he just laid there for a minute after Sam had made her move, trying to even his breathing. Then he gave Sam a wicked look, and scooping some of the cream from the pie, he wiped it on Sam's pretty face and proceeded to lick it off. _

_Two hours later, Sam and Jake crawled out of the cool water of the lake, and walked over to the flat rock the blanket, and their clothes were lying on. Once the two were dressed Sam picked up the now empty pie tin, and held the fork up for Jake's inspection while he folded the blanket. _

"_Too bad we didn't need this," Sam lamented, as they walked back to Jake's truck. _

"_Oh yeah, too bad." Jake said sarcastically. Then he bent and gave Sam a tender kiss on the jaw, then her forehead, and then her lips. _

Sam and Jake's minds must have been in sync, because at the same time Jake looked at Sam and said that that had been the best coconut pie he'd ever had, Sam leaned her head back and looking Jake in the eyes, said "Jake, you sure do make eating dessert fun!"

Read and Review folks, let me know what you think, and if you think I'm on the right track.


	4. Authors Note

**Authors Note:**

**It has come to my attention that many of you readers may possibly have assumed Jake and Sam slept together after they "ate" the coconut cream pie in the previous chapter. I would like to say, that no, in my mind they did not sleep together. They ate the pie and went for a swim. As my pen name suggests I am a Christian, and if the story takes us to the honeymoon, then yes, there maybe a sex scene, but not currently. I do strongly believe in purity, and abstinence, and the importance and sanctity of marriage. If I do post that chapter about their honeymoon, I will also post a rated PG-13 version as well. I apologize if my writing offended any of you. A friend of mine encouraged me to write that chapter and we both thought it was cute. If I offended you, I do apologize profusely, and hope that knowing what you do now, you will give my story another chance. **

**Thank You, Annie, aka ChristianCowgirl42**


	5. Tears and Fears

Sam and Jake got up from the rock they had been sitting and reminiscing on, and walked back hand in hand to the beat up old blue Ford truck that was parked near the sandy beach of the small lake. As the pair got into the pickup, Jake paused, and looked out across the prairie, or desert depending on how you looked at it, and gave a nearly inaudible sigh. But apparently it wasn't inaudible enough, because Sam heard, and slipped over to the edge of the drivers seat, with her legs on the door side. She wrapped her arms around Jake's shoulders as he stood leaning on the seat and looking out at the sky, and prairie and water.

"Jake, what're you thinking about?" Sam asked in a quiet voice.

"Sam, what if we built a house, right here? We could always see the lake, and we could have the horse pasture over there.", he said, pointing out different things, "Sam, I know, there are some bad memories of not to far away from here, but maybe we could even things out and have some more good ones."

Sam, rather than replying right away, just rested her chin on Jake's shoulder, looking at the sun sending its final rays of warmth and light out, as it slipped over the distant horizon. She and Jake stayed that way until the sun had completely set, and the sky was dark, and when Jake finally turned around he was shocked to see that Sam had silent tears streaming down her cheeks. He tenderly rubbed them away with his thumbs and cupping her face in his hands, tipped her face so he could see her eyes.

"Sam, I'm so sorry, I never should have mentioned it. We don't have to move here. It was just a stupid idea" Jake miserably looked at the beautiful auburn haired girl with tears in her eyes.

"No…Jake its not that. I just, I mean, this is the first time we've ever really talked about having a long term future together. At least since the accident." Sam said, looking Jake in the eyes as she said it. "I love you Jake, and I really want a future with you. But right now, I just wish Gram, or Jen, were here for me to talk to. I miss them so much, especially when something happy happens to me, I mean for us."

With those words the tears returned and slipped silently down her cheeks, as she closed her eyes and laid her head on Jake's broad shoulder. Jake wrapped his arms around the fragile girl, and rubbed circles on her lower back. Gradually they moved, a little at a time, first they got out of the pickup and leaned against the side of it, then moved to the bed, until finally they had the blanket from behind the seat, and were lying on it in the bed of the pickup. Nothing inappropriate, just lying there, holding each other, waiting for the pain to pass. At one point Sam was sure Jake had tears in his eyes too, but she didn't say anything and held him even closer. Near midnight, Jake whispered in Sam's ear that they should probably be going.

This time, when they got in the truck, Jake started it, and pulled away from the lake. As they bounced their way down the narrow, two-track road that led to Witch Rock Lake, Sam slid over next to Jake, "her spot" and she leaned her head on his shoulder. Within minutes the tired girl was sound asleep, and Jake looking down at her with a gentle smile on his handsome face, dropped a kiss on the top of her head. The couple was only a little over a mile away from Three Ponies, the first ranch they passed on the way home to Sam's, when Jake slammed on the accelerator, waking Sam. Sam woke immediately, and gasped as she saw what had made Jake react they way he had.


	6. Firetrucks and fleece blankets

Sam was staring out the windshield at what could only be described as one of the biggest barn fire she'd ever seen. Four of Darton County's biggest, best-equipped fire trucks pulled into the Ely yard seconds after Jake and Sam. Quinn met the couple as they were climbing out of Jake's pickup.

"Quinn, what the hell is going on?" Jake asked as he rushed past Quinn, trying to get closer to the fiery barn.

"We aren't sure, I got back from a date with Carla about fifteen minutes ago, and just when I was going into the house, I heard one of the horses squeal, we are so damned lucky we never have put any stalls in that old thing, otherwise we'd have lost the horses. I went around the barn, and the whole west side of it was on fire, so I let the horses that were in the barn corral out in to the big pasture." Quinn explained as Jake stood looking at the old wood and rock barn, now in flames.

The wood was in flames. The thing on Jake's mind now was all of the hundreds and thousands of dollars worth of tack that had been in the barn. The beautiful mushroom-colored bridle from Sam, Jake's trophy saddle from the rodeo in Darton, his dad's priceless collection of old tack and packsaddles. He pressed his eyes close, preventing ash from getting in them, and turned on his heel and walked back to where Sam was sitting in the dirt, a look of shock on her beautiful face. Jake sat down behind her and she leaned into his broad chest, it was only then that they both allowed the tears, hiding behind their eyes, to fall. Jake knew the only thing on Sam's mind was the identical barn fires that had occurred within the last 6 months. The first had taken Gram and Cody; the second had claimed Jennifer Kenworthy's life.

Sam could do nothing more than cry. The tears fell freely for the second time this evening. As the barn went up in flames, she remembered the sight of the River Bend barn burning to the ground, Gram and Cody both trapped inside, she couldn't forget the sound of Cody's shrieks as the barn burned around them. Within a hundred days of the River Bend fire, there had been a fire at Gold Dust Ranch, Jen had run back inside to rescue her precious Palomino, Silk Stockings. A beam collapsed on top of the pair and Sam's life had all but ended. Had it not been for Jake's reassuring presence in her life, Sam would have gone over the edge, while the depression had been severe, she had never taken her own life.

Sam and Jake looked simultaneously across the yard at Maxine Ely, who was frantically counting her children, making sure that none of them would meet the same fate as Grace and Cody Forster and Jen Kenworthy. Once she was sure that all of her sons were accounted for, she walked over to her husband and put her arm around his waist. The entire Ely clan, could do nothing more at this point than watch their barn burn.

When Sam awoke it was to find herself in Jake's bed, she was clad in one of Jake's college tee shirts, and her socks and underwear. She looked over at Jake who was sleeping on top of the covers, his handsome face, streaked with soot and ash. She reached down to the foot of the bed, where a black fleece blanket with horses on it lay. She pulled the blanket over Jake's muscular body and snuggled next to him, the blankets between them. The next time she awoke she found Jake watching her.

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked as pushed the hair from her face.

Jake reached over and played with her hair as he spoke. "Well, its Monday, sometime after 3 in the afternoon. So about three days."

"Oh my gosh, my parents don't know where I am. They must be going crazy, I've got to get home." Sam said as she struggled to sit up.

Jake just gave a lighthearted chuckle and pulled her back down next to him. "Of course they do. Mom talked to them. Dad and Wyatt are in Reno talking to the FBI about the recent rash of barn fires around here. Brynna said if it was easier for you, you could just stay here for a few days, at least until things start to get back to normal."

"Jake, things are never going to be normal again, my grandmother, brother and best friend are dead." Sam choked on the last few words.


	7. Trials of the heart

**A/N I'm so sorry it took me so long to get this up. I plan on finishing the story tonight, or in the next couple days. I'm so sorry to all the people who really liked the story. And thank you for believing in me. -Anni**

Sam had been partly right, things weren't ever going to be back to normal, not the normal she had been used to. But her life started to rearrange itself. Wyatt Forster, Luke Ely, and Jed Kenworthy had been lobbying with the FBI to launch an official investigation into the recent rash of barn fires that had claimed three lives.

It had taken Brynna's impassioned plea to solve her son's murder however for any major action to be taken. A fleet of agent's had descended on Alkali and the surrounding ranches, all there to solve the bizarre multiple murder case. After three months of bugging phones, tailing cars, and high-tech surveillance and one late-night crackdown on a small rental house on the outskirts of Darton, three men had been arrested and charged with the murders of Grace Forster, Cody Forster and Jennifer Kenworthy. The three men had been Curtis Flickinger, Linc Slocum and Ryan Slocum. At the trial in Reno, Sam had sat in stunned silence next to Jake each weekday for three weeks, listening to evidence, the prosecutor's speeches, and the defense's weak response to the heinous accusations. By the end of the unbearably long trial Sam was becoming sick and tired of sitting around while Linc Slocum, a person she loathed more than any other human being, gave his testimony. And with tears in his eyes Linc gave a half-hearted portrayal of a grief-stricken man. Linc's personal testimony took up two days of the trial.

The verdict came on a rainy, drippy day that Sam and Jake knew they would never forget as long as they lived. Linc Slocum would serve three consecutive life terms in the Nevada State Penitentiary for First Degree Homicide and First Degree Arson. Curtis Flickinger and Ryan Slocum would both serve 42 years for their parts in the hideous crime that had stolen the Forster and Kenworthy's family members.

Sam and Jake had returned to their respective ranches after the trial was over. Brynna had resigned as head superintendent of the Bureau of Land Management Mustang Relocation Facility and now tried to fill Gram's shoes. Wyatt and Brynna both had a hard time dealing with the death of their only son, and Wyatt's mother.

The grief Jed and Lila Kenworthy felt proved in the months after their daughters death to be more than they could either handle, and instead of finding strength in each other, Lila had taken her own life. Jed, now irreparably inconsolable, had sold his horses and the land he still owned and had headed back to Lander, Wyoming, where his family lived.

It was a glorious June day that found Jake and Sam headed for the hills behind Gold Dust Ranch, now called the Rocking E Slash Ranch. Jake and Sam had purchased the ranch, when the bank foreclosed on it due to debt and failure to make mortgage payments; Sam and Jake had bought it at the auction. Brynna and Wyatt had given Sam the money from Graces life insurance policy, and combined with the money Jake had studiously saved from breaking horses over the years they had been able to buy it outright. The first thing the couple had done was have the monolithic main house demolished and the huge pile of dirt it had been built on removed. Jake had yet to propose to Sam, he was still waiting for the perfect moment to tell her exactly how he felt about her.

Sam and Jake were riding up to where a memorial stone had been placed for Jennifer. On a small bluff overlooking the ranch, was a small granite memorial with Jennifer Coreen Kenworthy April 15, 1986—June 3, 2006 engraved on it. Below her name was inscribed the following words, "When the trail ends and I'm at the stairway to heaven, I'll will look back on my life and know I knew love." Next to her name was the engraving of a horse's head, mane tossed by the wind.

Jen had been gone for three years now, and Sam still occasionally suffered from what her psychiatrist called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, something common in people who had been in a war, or had witnessed someone's brutal death. Jake did his best to comfort the young woman he loved, but he knew that the person who could stop her crying, was the person she was crying for.

Sam stepped off her horse, and dropped the reins, ground-tying him. Ace had been killed in the same barn fire that had taken Tank, Sweetheart, Cody's pony CocoaBear, and Cody and Gram. Jake had traded for a big black gelding and had trained the gorgeous 4 year-old just for Sam. Sam had named the horse Cowboy, in tribute to the only person that would ever have her heart. Sam walked towards Jen's stone and kneeled before it, resting on her heels. Jake had ground-tied Witch next to Cowboy and walked over to sit behind Sam, she stretched her legs out on either side of Jen's improvised grave. Sam sat silently, Jake behind her, for several minutes, lovingly tracing the engraved horse head.

As her fingers followed the delicate lines she knew so well Jake protectively wrapped his arms around her slender waist and nestled his chin into the hollow between her shoulder and neck. Minutes passed as the couple sat on the windblown hill, Jake murmuring in Sam's ear, and wiping her tears away with his flannel shirtsleeve. Finally, as the sun began its slow descent into the mountains to the west, Sam and Jake stood. Sam turned and rested her head on Jake's broad chest letting her tears fall freely. The two mounted up and headed back to the ranch just as the sun slipped into the cover of the mountains Jake and Sam both held so dear.

At the ranch headquarters Jake and Sam stopped only a few minutes to turn off the lights in the cabin they were remodeling, and feed the few steers they had in the corral behind the barn. Jake persuaded Sam to leave Cowboy in a paddock and ride back to Three Ponies Ranch with him.

Sam whispered in Jakes ear as they entered the ranch, "Thank you babe, I never would have made it through all of this without you. I love you."


	8. Veils and Horse Tanks

**AN I apologize that this is so late, this is the last chapter of this particular story. I will post a honeymoon fanfic, and another continuing the story, but at least for the honeymoon story, it will be MA rated and I don't want to publish it with this story, as it's T rated, and I definitely do not want to offend anyone. I realize it is an awkward place to stop the story, but it will be finished. The Honeymoon story will be up shortly, look for Honeymooning in Montana by me. I hope you all like this. Hugs and kisses to my reviewers and fans. I love you guys, thank you for my patience.**

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Sam fidgeted nervously as Maxine and Brynna fussed with her frothy white veil. She knew she looked great, Maxine had made the dress by hand over summer vacation, and it was beautiful. The pure white of the bodice set off Sam's tan perfectly and the corset accentuated her slim waist. Sam turned to look in the mirror one last time before she picked up her bouquet of bright blanket flowers and faced her step-mom and mother-in-law to be.

Brynna fought back tears as she told Sam how beautiful she looked, and how much she wished that Gram could have been here to see Sam on her wedding day. Then giving Sam a kiss on the cheek she and Maxine left the room and alerted Wyatt that Sam was ready. As Wyatt entered Sam could tell he'd been crying and rushed to give her dad a hug.

"Sam, honey, you look so beautiful. Jake is the luckiest man on earth."

"Thanks Daddy!"

With that Wyatt took Sam's arm and together they left the small dressing room, and entered the main room of the large church where Brynna and Wyatt had gotten married. Sam looked around in appreciation of all the hard work she and Jake and his brothers had put in decorating for the big day. Flowers were plentiful in the room, all picked on the three ranches and white ribbons curled towards the floor from the arbor Wyatt and Luke had made.

All eyes were on the beautiful bride as she made her way up the aisle, but she could only see the handsome dark-skinned man standing at the altar. Although, to her, he still looked like the 19 year old college boy who'd come home because he missed her so much. Sam kissed her father on the cheek and joined Jake at the front of the church. They both spoke simply and from their heart and their vows showed their love for each other.

Before they knew it the ceremony was over and they'd walked outside and were standing in front of the church greeting the guests when Sam noticed a large stock tank full of water a few feet away. With a look of both disgust, and incredulity she gasped.

"Jake, why is there a stock tank in front of the ch-…?" Sam was cut off as Bryan and Kit grabbed Jake and Quinn and Adam wrestled her towards the tank. She gave a squeal of anger and irritation as she and Jake were unceremoniously dumped in the water. She flailed and gasped as she came up for air, livid at her brothers-in-law for getting her wet on her wedding day. Jake's face was a mask of amusement and similar irritation as he stepped out of the tank and helped Sam out.

"Well Sammy, we know how much you like getting dunked in the horse tank at weddings, so we thought we'd surprise you guys today!" Bryan explained, alluding to the dunking Jake had given Sam the day Brynna and Wyatt had gotten married.

"Very funny! Trust me, I'm gonna remember this…" Sam threatened as she tried to wring the water from her skirt.

Two hours later Sam and Jake were dry and sitting at one of the several picnic tables scattered around the front lawn of their new house at the Rocking E Slash Ranch. Summer was upon the day with a blooming clarity. Flowers burst from every spot that had received moisture during the spring months, and the sun shone down as if it's sole purpose for this day was to make sure Sam and Jake's wedding day was perfect. Smoke from the barbecue grills set up along the fence perfumed the air with the smell of ribs and chicken, and a 4 tier wedding cake was set up on a table in the center of the festivities. Jake was busy trying to convince Sam that she'd love the honeymoon he had planned but his plan had yet to work, she just looked amused. Sam and Jake turned as Wyatt whistled to get everyone's attention for the speech Darrel was going to give.


End file.
